Demand Answers from Judge Edith Jones

The New York Times reports that Judge Edith Jones, a right-wing firebrand who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and many saw as a potential Supreme Court nominee under President Bush, spouted extreme and bigoted viewpoints in a recent address to a Federalist Society law student group. If this is true, she needs to step down immediately.

Tell investigating Judge Merrick Garland to hold Edith Jones accountable for any comments that show her unable to be a fair and impartial judge.

In her address, which was about the death penalty, Judge Jones is reported to have promoted these views -- many apparently stated as fact:

-Blacks and Hispanics “get involved in more violent crime.”

-A death sentence is a service to defendants because it allows them to make peace with God.

-Mexicans would rather be on death row in the U.S. than in prison in Mexico.

These statements show a clear bias and bigotry and are very troubling for a sitting judge. Civil rights organizations have filed a complaint with the Fifth Circuit claiming Jones violated ethical standards applicable to federal judges under the Code of Conduct for United States judges.

If Judge Jones said what’s been reported, she needs to resign now, or be removed. Sign the petition now. Then help spread the word.

Letter to

Chief Judge Garland

If Judge Edith Jones has crossed the line and violated the ethical standards which should be expected of a federal judge, she must resign without delay or be removed from the bench.

Judge Jones’s reported comments to a group of law students show an unabashed bias, flamboyantly put on display, that undermines the public’s confidence in her, as well as the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, as a fair arbiter of the law and justice.

Please act swiftly to investigate and determine the veracity of the allegations against Judge Jones, and if they are true, to hold her accountable and recommend that she be removed from her judgeship on the 5th Circuit.